What are the responsibilities and job description for the Head Gardener position at Private Household?
An UHNW couple is seeking an experienced Head Gardener to oversee extensive estate gardens, greenhouses, and surrounding grounds. This individual will lead a dedicated landscaping team, ensure exceptional horticultural standards. The ideal candidate is proactive, organized, collaborative, and passionate about estate-level garden stewardship.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, train, and supervise a team of 4–5 landscaping and grounds staff, ensuring productivity, professionalism, and high-quality results.
- Oversee the planning, installation, and maintenance of formal gardens, flower beds, orchards, vegetable gardens, lawns, pathways, and wooded areas.
- Manage greenhouse operations, including plant propagation, seasonal rotations, climate control, inventory, and specialized specimen care.
- Develop and execute annual planting calendars, soil management programs, pruning schedules, pest/disease mitigation, and fertilization plans.
- Maintain irrigation systems, outdoor lighting, garden structures, and grounds equipment, coordinating repairs or upgrades as needed.
- Assist in the care, feeding, health monitoring, and safe habitat maintenance of estate animals, in collaboration with the House Manager and external specialists.
- Source plants, supplies, and equipment; manage vendor relationships and oversee deliveries and contracted services.
- Ensure safe, environmentally responsible horticultural practices, including eco-friendly material use and waste management.
- Monitor staff adherence to schedules, work assignments, and estate standards, reporting updates to the House Manager/Estate Manager.
- Support seasonal projects, special events, storm preparation, and recovery efforts across the property.
- Maintain detailed logs, inventories, plant records, and budget tracking.
Qualifications & Experience
- 5 years of professional gardening, landscaping, or estate horticulture experience required; private estate experience strongly preferred.
- Proven team leadership, supervisory, or managerial experience.
- Deep knowledge of horticulture, plant identification, soil science, integrated pest management, and greenhouse cultivation.
- Experience working with irrigation systems, grounds tools, machinery, and safety protocols.
- Comfort working around and supporting care for animals such as peacocks or other ornamental birds.
- Strong organizational, communication, and time-management skills.
- Ability to work outdoors year-round in varying weather conditions and perform physically demanding tasks.
- Professional, discreet, dependable, and service-oriented.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
Salary : $90,000